10 Great Reads for Summer 2019

Fiction

The over for The Golden Hour by Beatriz WilliamsThe Gold Hour

by Beatriz Williams

A young woman arrives in the Bahamas in 1941 to cover the duke and Duchess of Windsor for a society magazine but stumbles into a world of spies, lies, and intrigue.

(William Morrow)

The cover for the book "The Nickel Boys," by Colson WhiteheadThe Nickel Boys

by Colson Whitehead

The Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning author imagines the story of two boys sentenced to a hellish reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida.

(Doubleday)

The book cover for "Hollow Kingdom" by Kira Jane Buxton.Hollow Kingdom

by Kira Jane Buxton

A pet crow fights to save humanity from an apocalypse in this uniquely hilarious debut from a genre-bending literary author.

(Grand Central)

The cover for the book, "At Briarwood School for Girls", by Michael Knight.At Briarwood School for Girls

by Michael Knight

When the threat of a theme park intrudes on the lives of students and faculty at Briarwood, unexpected alliances form.

(Grove Atlantic)

Non-Fiction

The book cover for "The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America"The Code

by Margaret O’Mara

An in-depth examination of Silicon Valley and the revolution that changed technology, economies, and the world.

(Penguin Press)

The book cover for "Three Women," by Lisa TaddeoThree Women

by Lisa Taddeo

The author spent eight years researching the sex lives of three American women to write this book, sure to be one of the most talked about of 2019.

(Avid Reader Press)

The book cover for "Crisis in the Red Zone," by Richard PrestonCrisis in the Red Zone

by Richard Preston

The author of The Hot Zone details the gripping account of the Ebola outbreak of 2013-2014 and warns us that outbreaks continue.

(Random House)

The book cover for "The Ghosts of Eden Park" by Karen AbbottThe Ghosts of Eden Park

by Karen Abbott

The story of a prohibition kingpin taken down by a woman hired to the U.S. Attorney’s office right out of law school, told with all the detail and plot twists of a novel.

(Crown)

The cover for the book "Barnum" by Robert Wilson.Barnum

by Robert Wilson

The first major biography of P.T. Barnum in a generation, and a vivid account of the greatest showman the world has ever seen.

(Simon & Schuster)

This article is featured in the July/August 2019 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. Subscribe to the magazine for more art, inspiring stories, fiction, humor, and features from our archives.

Featured image: Shutterstock

10 Best Winter Reads

 

Fiction

The DreamersThe Dreamers

by Karen Thompson Walker

A mysterious illness causes people to fall into perpetual sleep in this eerie and beautiful novel by the author of the best-selling Age of Miracles.
Random House

The CurrentThe Current

by Tim Johnston

In this thoughtful yet driving mystery, two young women plunge into a Minnesota river, but only one comes out alive. As she investigates, the layers peel back chapter by chapter.
Algonquin Books

That Churchill Woman That Churchill Woman

by Stephanie Barron

Winston Churchill’s American-born mother is the subject of this historical novel that reads like The Paris Wife meets PBS’s Victoria.
Ballantine

The Silent PatientThe Silent Patient

by Alex Michaelides

People will be talking about this debut thriller about a wife and husband with a seemingly perfect life, a shocking murder, and a therapist obsessed with uncovering the motive.
Celadon

Black Leopard, Red WolfBlack Leopard, Red Wolf

by Marlon James

The Man Booker Prize-winning author has written an African Game of Thrones, the first in a trilogy.
Riverhead

Nonfiction

Dreyer’s EnglishDreyer’s English

by Benjamin Dreyer

Could this be the next Eats, Shoots & Leaves? Language lovers will cherish this witty guide to proper writing by Random House’s longtime copy chief.
Random House

Wild BillWild Bill

by Tom Clavin

He was literally a living legend, the first lawman of the Wild West, and this is his definitive biography by the bestselling author of Dodge City.
St. Martin’s Press

The Unwinding of the MiracleThe Unwinding of the Miracle

by Julie Yip-Williams

When the author was diagnosed with terminal cancer, she set out to write her story for her two girls, creating this vibrant exhortation to live life truly, openly, and bravely.
Random House

InheritanceInheritance

by Dani Shapiro

In 2016, the author submitted her DNA to a genealogy website and learned that her father was not her biological father, setting off this memoir about identity, paternity, and family secrets.
Knopf

MaidMaid

by Stephanie Land

This surprisingly beautiful, moving, and levelheaded memoir explores the contrast of a woman trapped in poverty while working as a maid for upper-class America.
Hachette

This article is featured in the January/February 2019 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. Subscribe to the magazine for more art, inspiring stories, fiction, humor, and features from our archives.